May 26, 1914 - April 27, 2009
This is an article from the NY Daily News Website:
Lindy Hop great Frankie Manning dies at 94
BY David Hinckley DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Monday, April 27th 2009, 4:09 PM
Tracy for News/Tracy, John, Freelance
BY David Hinckley DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Monday, April 27th 2009, 4:09 PM
Tracy for News/Tracy, John, Freelance
Frankie Manning, who pioneered the Lindy Hop in the 1930s, won a Tony a half-century later and inspired swing dancers around the world, died yesterday at Lenox Hill Hospital from complications of pneumonia.
But he didn't take the dancing with him. More than 2,000 swing dancers from 30 countries will come to New York May 21-25 to participate in "FrankieFest 95," which was originally planned to mark his 95th birthday on May 26.
Organizers say it will go on, and will now become a memorial celebration — which won't be a big transition, because almost every swing dancer in the world uses moves invented, shaped or polished by Frankie Manning.
A tall, courtly man with endless energy and enthusiasm, Manning lived long enough to see his style of dancing fade away and then spring back to life. He was a cornerstone of that revival, both as a teacher and a dancer himself. He was actively dancing until late last year, when he fell on an overseas trip and suffered lingering complications. He had told friends he still planned to dance at FrankieFest this year — not a minor thing at his birthday celebrations, since he insisted on dancing with at least one woman for each year of his life.
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., Manning moved to Harlem with his family when he was 3. He grew up around jazz and later swing music, and in the 1930s became one of the star dancers at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. In the elite "Cat's Corner" there, he and partner Fredi Washington won a contest one year by creating the first "air step," also known as an "aerial," where Manning seemed to send Washington flying through the air. Proficient as he was at solo dancing, Manning had an even greater knack for choreographing groups. So when Herbert White put together a troupe that became known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Manning became its unofficial choreographer. He toured the world with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers between 1936 and 1943, working with musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Cab Calloway. The group also appeared in a number of films during those years, including "Radio City Revels," "Keep Punching" and "Hellzapoppin'" (1941), where Manning choreographed the group's most enduring tour de force.
He served in the Army during World War II, then in 1947 formed his own dance troupe, the Congaroos. They performed until the mid-1950s, when rock ‘n' squeezed swing out of the picture.
He went to work at the Post Office, where he remained until he retired in 1985. At that point, at 71, he went back to full-time dancing. Pockets of swing revivals were popping up around the U.S., Europe and the Far East, and Manning happily became a godfather, crossing the country and touring the world to teach and encourage dancers.
In 1989 he won a Tony Award for the choreography of "Black and Blue," He choreographed, and danced in, Spike Lee's "Malcolm X." He was also a regular at dances around New York, and never discouraged his reputation as a ladies' man on the dance floor.
In 2007 he collaborated with Cynthia R. Millman on his autobiography, "Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop," published by Temple University Press and republished last October.
He can also be seen in a new film documentary, Julie Cohen's "Frankie Manning: Still Swinging," which will premiere on Ch. 13 on May 21. He is survived by his long-time companion, Judy Pritchett; two sons, Chazz and and Frank Jr.; a daughter, Marion; a half-brother, Vincent; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is being arranged in New York. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Frankie Manning Fund, P.O. Box 980581, Houston, Texas 77098.
dhinckley@nydailynews.com
